I'm rebuilding my server & need some input on which 2tb hard drive may be perfect for my setup. I will be purchasing 1 or 2.

There is a 75% chance my rebuilt server will be running CentOS 5.5 (Linux) so if this will sway my decision I would like to be informed as to why. I'm not for absolute max transfer rates but more focused on reliability, low heat & quiet operation. I would also like an affordable setup which includes the drives.

I'd probably go what ever is cheapest.
But if there was only a couple bucks difference I'd pick the LPs. No 8 sec timer to worry about like with the Greens, yet low power and low noise solutions. I KNOW I wouldnt get the EARS as wdidle3 apparently doesnt work on them.

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NCIX got the ears 2tb for 109 + free shipping. the eads is 99,99 but only 1 per customer... so if you don't mind the advanced format it's all good. I'm gonna get 2 in the next few days. When I receive 'em, i'll try to mess and see if I can get the wdidle to work.

NCIX got the ears 2tb for 109 + free shipping. the eads is 99,99 but only 1 per customer... so if you don't mind the advanced format it's all good. I'm gonna get 2 in the next few days. When I receive 'em, i'll try to mess and see if I can get the wdidle to work.

Not familiar with wdiddle, can someone fill me in? I'll have also to see about the 4k sector format & Linux kernel compatibility. I found this quote so far from a WDC community post.

"4K/Advanced format is only implemented on "EARS" models with 64mb cache......WD15EADS is 32MB cache and it's the old model without the 4K/Advance format!"

Any Hitachi or Samsung fans as they are usually on sale?

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Hitachi7200 = good drive, louder and more power hungry than the 5xxxrpm drives though
Seagate LP = almost as loud as 7200rpm drives (according to SPCR), high failure rate... I'm not a SG hater, in fact I am using SG drives right now with no problems, but according to reviews and forums, the LP drives specifically have a high failure rate.
Samsung F3 = I've personally never tried a sammy drive, but they get good reviews for reliability and noise, but terrible reviews for customer service and RMAs.
WD EARS = Good drive.. AFTER you use the WDIDLE3 program to disable the head parking. NOT FOR RAID, the TLER cannot be turned on.
WD EADS = Good drive.. AFTER you use WDIDLE3 just like the EARS. Also, you can update the firmware of this drive and then use the WDTLER software to enable TLER so that these can be used in RAID.

Bear in mind that all the info I read was from forums, pro reviews, and custom reviews. Personally I have 2 WD20EADS on the way from NCIX. they are "on sale" for $99 right now. I use quotation marks because it is a maximum of 1 drive per customer... but they also have free shipping over 100$ this week.